July 23, 2014—Ford Motor says the 2015 F-150 will be at least 700 pounds lighter than that of the previous model year because of the use of military-grade aluminum alloy in the body and the cargo box, as well as the use of high-strength steel.

July 21, 2014—Proctor & Gamble and Whirlpool created a partnership to build an appliance that the companies say can reduce a consumer’s ironing and steaming needs and has the potential to cut your dry-cleaning expenses in half.

July 21, 2014—The Kidizoom Smartwatch ($60), which has a 1.4-inch color touch screen, can be connected to a home computer via a micro USB cable to charge the watch’s battery or to upload images, videos or voice recordings.

July 8, 2014—The manufacturer of a defective vacuum cleaner agreed to pay a $725,000 civil penalty to settle charges by Consumer Product Safety Commission that it knowingly failed to report a defect in the product’s electrical wiring.

July 25, 2014—Consumers who purchase subsidized health insurance through markets that are run by the federal government likely have no reason to worry about a federal courts clash that challenges the legality of such subsidies, three independent health-insurance experts tell Consumers Digest.

March 27, 2014—Federal Trade Commission proposed changes to its Fuel Rating Rule today that recognizes a new octane-rating method and revises requirements for blends of gasoline that have more than 10 percent ethanol.

July 25, 2014—Consumers who purchase subsidized health insurance through markets that are run by the federal government likely have no reason to worry about a federal courts clash that challenges the legality of such subsidies, three independent health-insurance experts tell Consumers Digest.

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Polaris

Today’s all-terrain vehicles (ATV) ask only a simple question: What do you want to accomplish? Whether it’s bombing around backwoods trails or hauling a stack of firewood—or both—manufacturers produce a model that can handle your task. Although great features such as electronic fuel injection and disc brakes now can be found on economy models that start at as little as $4,200, manufacturers have been paying particular attention to the other end of the price spectrum. The result is far more utility vehicles (UTV) than were on the market 4 years ago (52 now compared with 30 in 2008) at prices that might make motorcycle manufacturers blanch.

The UTV, which also is known as a side-by-side for its carlike seating of driver and passenger, always has been a trusty workhorse. But lately manufacturers have been making more models that cater to play time. Although it technically wasn’t the first sport UTV, the introduction of the Polaris Ranger RZR (now a four-model line) in the 2008 model year jump-started the market for increasingly sporty UTVs.

Sport UTVs have engines that are tuned for performance and faster speeds, their shocks are tunable (meaning that they can be adjusted to smooth out bumps and jolts on high-speed rides) and they don’t look like the typical UTV that you’d find hauling a load of hay. In fact, the new Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000i H.O. features the most extreme design that we’ve seen: It resembles a tricked-out dune buggy.

The trade-off is in the payload: Sport UTVs have limited cargo capabilities in the 250- to 500-pound range, compared with traditional UTVs, several of which can haul at least 1,000 pounds.

But you’ll have to pay to play. Sport UTVs typically cost far more than do traditional work UTVs. For example, the lowest priced work UTV that we found, the Kawasaki Mule 600, has a price of $6,699; the lowest priced sport UTV is the Polaris Ranger RZR 570 at $9,999.

Best Buys in ATVs

And the sky’s the limit on where today’s UTVs go in terms of price. Four years ago, you would have had a difficult time finding a UTV that cost more than $12,000. Now, we found at least nine models that cost at least $15,000, and certain trim levels of models by Can-Am, Kubota and Polaris start above $19,000.

You should look for this trend to continue. Although manufacturers don’t separate sales figures for the sport-UTV market from the larger UTV umbrella, all of the sources with whom we spoke tell us that the sport-UTV category is selling well even during the economic downturn compared with other ATVs.

POWER SOURCE. As you might suspect in these days of $4-per-gallon gasoline, ATV manufacturers are experimenting more with models that use alternative fuel sources. Diesel-powered UTVs have been around on models that were marketed toward farmers, but more recreational-focused manufacturers slowly are dipping their toe into the diesel-fuel pond. Kawasaki introduced two diesel-powered models since 2011, and Arctic Cat introduced the first diesel-powered non-UTV ATV in 2008.

Diesel-powered models are strictly for the work-minded. Diesel engines don’t produce as much horsepower as a gasoline engine of roughly the same size does and thus not as much speed. For example, the John Deere Gator XUV 855D, which has an 854cc engine, generates 23 hp and claims a top speed of 30 mph. The gasoline-powered Gator XUV 825i, which has an 812cc engine, generates 50 hp and a claimed top speed of 44 mph. But a diesel engine produces more torque, which makes it better for towing or hauling cargo.

Diesel-powered models also are heavier than are their gasoline-powered counterparts, sometimes by as much as 200 pounds more, and they also typically carry a premium of roughly $1,000 compared with gasoline-powered models of the same engine size.